Mule deer meat smells

[Buckshot85]

We just harvested our first mule deer bucks.
It struck us immediately that the meat is very strong smelling of garlic. All of our animals, 3, were quartered immediately, gutless, and in a cooler. We used an outfitter in Wheatland Wyoming.
We do our own butchering back home in Wisconsin on our whitetails and never ran into this even on rutting bucks. Is it just that strong from sage or prairie grass?

 

[nodakian]

Not sure about the garlic smell, nor about the influence of food source. It seems a little early for rut, but I don’t know timing in that area. I’ve shot plenty, mostly on the prairie, sage and grass, bucks and does, and haven’t noticed a difference between food sources. They definitely smell different than WT, though.

Try gutting a rutted up gut shot MD buck—now that’s a good time! Closest I ever came to gagging was when helping a new guy do that.

 

[CoHiCntry]

Garlic huh? Were they outside an Italian restaurant?

 

[lif]

Never heard of garlic smell. I feel like bucks that spend the entire year in sage , rather than timber bucks, have a slightly stronger smell, but I mostly notice that while cooking it. While butchering, I’ve noticed that cold meat has far less aroma than room temperature meat.

 

[DavePwns]

Might need to age the meat for a while

 

[Braaap]

Raw meat or cooked meat smells like garlic?

 

[Buckshot85]

Raw

 

[FullValue]

Mule deer in my opinion definitely have a different smell than Whitetail. I've only killed Western animals both Coues and Idaho Whitetail along with AZ and ID Muley. I've had cooked Wisconsin whitetail but have not dealt with them while raw. Anyways If this is your first Mule deer it does not surprise me it smells different to you. Can't say I've ever had a garlic smell but if you asked me to tell you what a mule deer smelled like, I would probably say "well a mule deer", hard to put it to a flavor or other smell. Anyways give it a shot, lot of the animals will taste nothing like they smell during process and cooking. I've always said mule deer are like jackrabbits and whitetail are like cottontail when it comes to the way they eat. That being said I've had some mighty fine venison from both species

 

[Buckshot85]

Thanks, FV.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I must be used to it if there is a strong smell.

 

[fishslap]

I’ve killed a fair number of elk, mule deer, and whitetail and I know what I’m doing with meat care from before the shot until after the dishes are done. Last year I killed a forky who was running with some other young bucks, not exactly rutting hard. Deer was barely edible. It had a very strong smell and flavor that I can’t even describe. I’ve been slowly mixing it with other critters and making sausage. Totally healthy deer from what I could tell. Who knows? Diet, illness, hormones?

 

[Buckshot85]

Deer was calm. Just stood up from a nap. All 3 deer smelled strong so I doubt illness. He was with 7 does but seems early for rut. No idea.

 

[fishslap]

Maybe this...

 

[hobbes]

Mule deer just smell different than farmland whitetails. They have a stronger, more pungent smell (at least in sage country). I wouldn't call the smell garlic though, but instead sage mixed with deer piss. It gets worse in mid November. It follows that the meat has a stronger smell.

 

[Bambistew]

Oh you're in for a treat... If the smell is off putting now, wait till you cook some up. hahaha The bucks in the end of Oct and Nov can taste awful and are nothing like whitetails.

 

[Buckshot85]

That’s the best news yet, thanks?????

 

[2ski]

Mule deer smell. Just is what it is. Worse in the rut. Funny. People have this mystic to hunting mule deer. Noone talks a out the smell. I was raised on mule deer so I actually enjoy the taste. And if not, there's always ketchup. Lol

Like Bambistew said, wait till you cook it. But cook enough for leftovers. Thats when you really smell it. Nothing like mule deer spaghetti the second day to really make that deer smell. Lol.

 

[trophyhill]

 

[backfencer]

The majority of the mulies we harvest are pre-rut, wheat/sage country general season bucks. 2-1/2 to 4-1/2-year-old class deer, with high-fat content. These are Wa deer, and they're fantastic table fare. I have had the occasional one with a slight sour-type "gut" odor to it while hanging, and even after it's been cut/wrapped and thawed. But once cooked the odor vanished and the flavor was excellent. I've shot 2 mulies in Mt and 2 in Idaho in middle November and all of those were fine deer as well. They were rutting bucks, but still had some fat on their carcass. Those were 3-1/2 to 4-1/2yo bucks, so not huge and still appeared to be lower-level timber/sage deer.

Overall, I know where the deer come from locally and what they're tending to feed on. Also, how they were dealt with in the field, as well as out of the field. Once we get back to camp, we skin them rapidly then hang/cool them for several days, before cutting. I do dig whitetail also, but honestly, I'll put these farmed-up mulies against any whitetail. A lot of folks don't agree (and that's fine), but my family enjoys them. I hope your deer turn out good!

 

[wytx]

If you just harvested them they were in pre rut pretty well. I just took my buck last Saturday and they are definitely in pre rut and starting to gather doe, I hunted in Sybille canyon area.
That smell is their rut smell. The meat will be fine unless you got the hock glands in contact with the meat.
I shot my buck and could smell him as I walked over the ridge to where he lay.
It will have different taste than whitetail but should be good.

Who did you hunt with ? pm is fine for answer.